Meal-time Smartphone Use in an Obesogenic Environment: Two Longitudinal Observational Studies

Abstract

Background: Despite a large volume of research on the impact of other digital screens (eg, televisions) on eating behavior, little is known about the nature and impact of mealtime smartphone use.

Objective: We investigated how smartphones are used in everyday meals, whether phone users differ according to mealtime phone use patterns, and whether specific phone functions (particularly food photography) would affect the amount and enjoyment of food eaten.

Methods: Across 2 studies, we used the experience sampling method to track 1780 meals in situ. In study 1, a total 137 young adults reported on their mealtime smartphone use 3 times per day over 7 consecutive days. This corresponded to each main meal, with participants recording whether they used their phones and what phone functions they engaged in while eating. In study 2, a total of 71 young adults were similarly tracked for 3 meals per day over 7 days. Across the week, participants' meals were randomized to 1 of 3 smartphone conditions: food photography while eating, nonfood photography while eating, or no phone use. As the outcome measures, participants reported on the amount and enjoyment of food they ate.

Results: During the week-long tracking, most participants (110/129, 85.3%) recorded at least one instance of mealtime smartphone use, with an average frequency of 1 in 3 meals where phones were used (27.1%; 95% CI 23.6-30.6). Unlike traditional digital screens, mealtime phone use encompassed a wide range of social and nonsocial activities. Further, specific forms of phone use behaviors influenced food intake in different ways. Specifically, in study 2, participants showed the typical pattern of increased food intake across the day when they engaged in nonfood photography during a meal (P<.001); however, this pattern was disrupted when they engaged in food photography (P=.73).

Conclusions: Our findings underscore the prevalence and multifaceted nature of mealtime phone use, distinguishing mobile phones from traditional forms of digital screens.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03299075; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03299075 and ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03346785; https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT03346785.

Keywords: mobile phones; obesogenic environment; screen time; technology; young adults.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

©Joceline Y Y Yong, Eddie M W Tong, Jean C J Liu. Originally published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (https://mhealth.jmir.org), 06.05.2021.

Figures

Figure 1

In a baseline questionnaire on habitual phone use, participants reported how likely they were to use their phones in each context. A higher score corresponds to greater likelihood, and horizontal lines represent the 95% CI for the mean. When participants were then monitored for 1 week, mealtime phone use was observed in approximately 9 of 10 participants (in an average of 1 in 3 meals).

Figure 2

(Left) In a baseline questionnaire on habitual phone use, participants reported how likely they were to use each phone function on a regular day. A higher score corresponds to greater likelihood, and horizontal lines represent the 95% CI for the mean. (Right) Participants were then monitored closely for 1 week; the graph on the right depicts the percent of mealtime phone use episodes where each phone activity was recorded. Horizontal lines represent the 95% CI for each percentage.

Figure 3

Box-plot depicting the distribution of mealtime phone use frequency captured across 1 week of naturalistic monitoring. The bottom, midline, and top of the box represent the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, respectively, and chronic users are represented in the shaded gray area (top 15% of participants, corresponding to ≥50% of meals with phone use).

Figure 4

Mean amount and enjoyment of food eaten at each meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner), plotted as a function of whether participants engaged in food photography or nonfood photography. A higher score corresponds to greater enjoyment or amount eaten, and vertical lines represent 1 SE of the mean.